Thursday, May 01, 2014

I can't believe what my state is wasting money on

Just weeks before Tax Day,
April 15, Governor Deval Patrick, Obama’s “close friend,” signed into
law a bond bill that dispenses $177 million in Massachusetts State Taxes
to the Pentagon for construction and “upgrades” of U.S. military bases
in the state. That’s right, not federal taxes but state taxes.

On April 15, the federal govt. collected
about $1 trillion in personal income taxes. The Pentagon will get $600
billion this year, and along with the CIA, NSA, the costs of overseas
wars as in Iraq, Libya, Syria and now Ukraine, the bill for the
imperial-military complex will come to about $1 trillion. Does not the
war machine get enough as it swills down at the federal trough, without
gouging us at the state level?

Meanwhile cities and towns are in dire need
of more state aid for schools and other crucial spending, like ravaged
roads, crumbling bridges and decaying senior centers. Taxes have been
raised in many cities and towns because of the lack of such funds from
state coffers, further burdening the taxpayers.

As someone who lives in Big Mass, I'm especially pissed off.

It is the job of the federal government to pay for these things, not state taxes.

I look around and I see our streets crumbling, our libraries suffering, you name it.

But we've got money to waste on upgrading US military facilities?

Our state wants to waste money on that?

Every one of them who supported that should be voted out of office.

And they better pray like hell no plate from underneath a bridge falls again and wounds or kills someone.

Wednesday, April 30, 2014. Chaos and violence continue, Iraqis attempt
to vote, brawls break out between voters, polling stations are attacked,
one polling station is closed by a militant non-voter, Nouri al-Maliki
lies and tries to proclaim himself the winner, votes are being counted
now, the IHEC says it will be 20 to 30 days before they have a complete
vote, and did we mention Nouri's lying and proclaiming himself the
winner, how about many in the press are going along with him on this,
all that and Laura Nyro.

Iraq held parliamentary elections today. Despite rumors that Nouri al-Maliki had asked for a tramp stamp instead of dipping his own finger in purple ink, Ali Al-Saadi's photo for AFP and Getty Images demonstrates that the thug and current prime minister did dip his finger in ink.

Nouri wasn't the only one voting today. Iraq Pictures notes, "A woman with her newly born baby votes in the Iraqi Elections."

Millions of Iraqis courageously voted today and
reaffirmed not just their commitment to democracy, but their
determination to achieve a more secure and peaceful future. Iraqis from
every ethnic and religious group, and from all 18 provinces, voted in an
election critical to advancing the vision of a democratic, united,
federal, and pluralistic Iraq as defined in the Iraqi constitution.With ink-stained thumbs, Iraqi voters sent a powerful rebuke to the
violent extremists who have tried to thwart democratic progress and sow
discord in Iraq and throughout the region. Iraqi citizens stood up to
extremist threats, and many acted particularly heroically, including a
police officer who gave his own life to shield voters from a suicide
bomber near a polling station.This election is one step in a democratic process to stand up a new
parliament and form a new government.The United States has stepped up
our support to Iraq, and over the coming weeks, we will continue to
support Iraq’s Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC) to fairly,
accurately, and transparently carry out its responsibilities as votes
are counted and results are certified. We urge Iraq's leaders to respect
the constitutional framework for certifying the vote and forming a new
government, and we hope this process moves expeditiously given the
serious challenges the country faces.The United States has been proud over the past year to support the
efforts of the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI) and
the IHEC in preparing for these elections, and we have advocated with
all Iraqi leaders the importance of the election being held on time. We
will now continue to encourage all Iraqi leaders to focus on pulling
their country together and forming a new government that can effectively
deliver for all of Iraq’s 18 provinces.

30 April 2014 – The United Nations Security Council today welcomed
the timely holding of parliamentary elections in Iraq, and, looking
forward to the certification of the results by national electoral
officials, called on the country’s leaders “to engage, as quickly as
possible, to form a Government that represents the will and sovereignty
of the Iraqi people.”
In a statement to the press read out by Ambassador U. Joy Ogwu of
Nigeria, Council President for the month of April, the members of the
15-nation body welcomed today’s elections, and commended the people “for
demonstrating their commitment to a peaceful, inclusive and democratic
political process.”
Looking forward to the announcement by Iraq’s Independent High Electoral
Commission (IHEC) certifying the election results, the Council
expressed appreciation to the Commission and the Government, including
the Iraqi security forces, for their dedicated work in preparing and
conducting these polls, supported by the UN Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI).
“The…Council calls on all political entities to work together in an
inclusive and timely political process aimed at strengthening Iraq’s
national unity, sovereignty and independence; and for Iraq’s leaders to
engage, as quickly as possible, to form a Government that represents the
will and sovereignty of the Iraqi people,” said Ms. Ogwu.
Further, she said members of the Council believe that through its
democratic institutions, in cooperation with society, Iraq can work to
address the challenges facing the country for the benefit of all Iraqis
and their hope for a strong, independent, unified and democratic Iraq.
The Council reaffirmed its support for the Iraqi Government’s efforts to
help meet the security needs of the entire population of Iraq,
particularly in the current challenging security environment and during
the elections.
Finally, the Council reiterated that no act of violence or terrorism can
reverse a path towards peace, democracy and reconstruction in Iraq,
underpinned by the rule of law and respect for human rights, which is
supported by the people and the Government of Iraq and the international
community.

A lot is at stake in these elections. For one thing, Iraq will need to find a new president.

That's not open to debate.

December 2012, Iraqi
President Jalal
Talabani suffered a stroke. The incident took place late on December
17, 2012 (see the December 18, 2012 snapshot) and resulted in Jalal being admitted to Baghdad's Medical Center Hospital. Thursday, December 20, 2012,
he was moved to Germany. He remains in Germany currently.

Obviously, health issues prevent him from continuing as prime minister.
So does the Iraqi Constitution -- Jalal has termed out of office.

So one thing the new Parliament will have to do is pick a president -- a new president.

They may or may not get to select a prime minister. In 2006, the White
House selected (imposed) Nouri al-Maliki for them. In 2010, the White
House demanded Nouri get a second term.

American intelligence assessments have found that Mr. Maliki’s
re-election could increase sectarian tensions and even raise the odds of
a civil war, citing his accumulation of power, his failure to
compromise with other Iraqi factions -- Sunni or Kurd -- and his military
failures against Islamic extremists. On his watch, Iraq’s
American-trained military has been accused by rights groups of serious
abuses as it cracks down on militants and opponents of Mr. Maliki’s
government, including torture, indiscriminate roundups of Sunnis and
demands of bribes to release detainees.

And a new leader could lower tensions. Not necessarily permanently.
But Nouri is the common bond that has created resistance in Iraq. A
new leader could mean a reset. We covered this in April 12's "I Hate The War,"

It's also true that a third term for Nouri could result in real
recruitment for the armed resistance. Not within Iraq. Iraqis who
would be part of the armed resistance are pretty much already there.
Four years of Nouri targeting Sunnis, persecuting them and terrorizing
them have done the trick and the only new segment from Iraq will be
young boys and girls who come to maturity and join the ranks.

But a third term of Nouri in Iraq? Sunni fighters from outside Iraq
might decide Syria's less important and begin targeting Iraq -- in which
case Nouri's paranoid rantings might come true. There's already talk
in Arabic social media about the huge number of Iraqi Shi'ites going
into Syria to fight. At some point, a third term of Nouri would mean
Sunni fighters from outside Iraq take the battle into Iraq (a) to defend
the persecuted Sunni Iraqis and (b) to force Iraqi Shi'ite fighters out
of Syria and back into Iraq. A third term for Nouri likely means the
babble of expanding the fight in Syria -- that so many have warned about
and quite a few have pretended has already happened -- becomes more
than that.

If you're not getting it, even the Tehran Times carries an article today which notes, "But the violence returned, stoked in part by al-Maliki's moves last
year to crush protests by Sunnis complaining of discrimination under his
government. Militants took over the city of Fallujah in the
Sunni-dominated province of Anbar and parts of the provincial capital of
Ramadi." The persecuted Sunnis in Iraq are becoming well known in the region.

Ranj Alaaldin (Guardian) observes, "Fearing that Bashar al-Assad's downfall would allow Syria's
Islamist-dominated opposition to intensify its support for Iraq's
militants, Iraq's Shia-dominated government has in turn allowed Syria-bound Iranian cargo flights to use Iraqi airspace.
It has also turned a blind eye to Iraqi Shia militias entering Syria to
support the Syrian regime. These militias have ensured the survival of
the Assad regime alongside other Shia actors such as Hezbollah."

If you're a non-Iraqi an armed Sunni group that wants to help Syria,
Nouri's actions mean you're going to have to take the battle into Iraq
at some point and confront the government which is backing Bashar
al-Assad.

Already, one of Maliki’s main rivals, Ayad Allawi, is indicating he
will leave politics before dealing with Maliki – even if the prime
minister wins a majority of seats.Mr. Allawi, Iraq’s first
interim prime minister after the war and head of the biggest Sunni bloc,
says the prime minister needs to comply with a two-term limit for prime
ministers that was approved in parliament but struck down in court. “What
is happening now is lots of atrocities, lots of violations. The
constitution is swept under the carpet. Now he controls part of the
judiciary, he controls everything, and not only that, he is embarking on
a policy of divide and rule… We can’t accept this after eight years of
bloodshed in Iraq and total loss of security,” says Allawi.

MB: As you know the corruption in this country
is very huge. And there is a lot of money in the hands of some
politicians not necessary only from the block of prime minister.
There are so many other blocks that stole so much money from the
country. They can buy votes and support from IHEC [the
Independent High Electoral Commission which approved the voting
system and the counting method for 2014 parliamentary elections].
The results will not be very clear.
We do not have foreign observers or people who are watching the
elections. RT: People say that 65 American observers
came to Iraq especially for the elections, is it so?MB: What can these 65 do? Can they work on the
street? Can they go to the governorates? Can they go to the
election boxes and see how people vote and how their votes are
counted? No, they cannot.

In addition to US observers, IHEC notes
that there were 26 observers from the Arab leagues who were monitoring
Baghdad, Basra, Najaf, Erbil, Dohuk and Sulaymaniyah provinces. NINA notes Nikolai Mladenov, the UN Secretary-General's Special Envoy to Iraq, praised the international observers for their work today. The IHEC noted by mid-day that 34% of the electronic voting cards they distributed had been used. Later, Xinhua reports, "the country's Independent High Electoral Commission
(IHEC) said that a preliminary estimate showed that Iraqi voters made
about 60 percent turnout when more than 12 million eligible voters out
of over 20 million fanned out to polling centers across the country on
Wednesday."

What did the voters want? AFP states,
"Iraqis complain of myriad grievances, from poor public services to
rampant corruption and high unemployment[.]" Here are some reported
comments. The Oman Observer quotes
two voters insisting it's time for change. 19-year-old Noor Raad
shares she was voting "to change the politicians because most of them
have not worked to improve the situation." 67-year-old Abu Ashraf ____
(didn't give full name) states he voted, "I came to vote for change for
my children and grandchildren to change the future and the situation of
the country for the better. It is necessary to change most of the
politicians because they have done nothing and they spend years on
private conflicts." Kamal al-Din tells Al Manar, "I hope that Iraq has a
safe future, and that unemployment is tackled, and industry, agriculture
and trade return to their original stature, instead of just relying on
oil." Al-Manar explains, "The pensioner said he hoped to see an entirely new government elected to
address the multiple problems that have scattered his grandsons cross
Austria, Britain, Germany and Sweden." Press TV adds, "Many Iraqis feel that the people in
power live a luxurious life style and aren’t able to relate to the
problems of ordinary people." Judit Neurink (Rudaw) reports:The Iraqi Electoral Commission had set up special polling booths for
the approximately 30,000 Arabs who have fled Ramadi and Fallujah and
sought shelter in the safety of the Kurdistan Region.
Their anger with the Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki and his
Shiite government had driven many refugees to Andazyiaran School to
fight him back with their ballots.
“We want change, we need safety,” said a lawyer from Baghdad who arrived in Kurdistan ten days ago after his uncle was killed.
“The situation in Baghdad is terrible,” he lamented. “Sunnis cannot
stay there. It has got too dangerous. I really hope to see the change.”

Noah Rayman (Time magazine) notes, "Hundreds of thousands of troops and police -- many of whom were allowed to
vote Monday so they could provide security on Wednesday -- were
safeguarding polling stations as Iraqis voted, according to the AP.
Iraqi authorities closed the nation’s airspace and banned vehicles to
limit the threat of car bombings."

While those were serious dangers for voters, All Iraq News points out a more minor issue of inconvenience journalists attempting to vote in Baghdad at the Sheraton Hotel complained.

Fraud charges were leveled ahead of the voting. Possibly for good reason. NINA notes
1 person was arrested in Nineveh Province's al-Shura for being in
possession of 511 of the new electronic voting cards. In addition, Australia's ABC Radio reports:Non-Shiite parties complained of obstacles to voting in the outer
suburbs of Baghdad and saw in it a deliberate effort by Mr al-Maliki to
keep their numbers down in the next parliament."It was all to be expected," said Muhannad Hussam, a candidate who supports Sunni deputy prime minister Saleh Mutlaq."They didn't want the Sunnis to move for the election."Mr
Hussam said some voting machines broke down and that security forces
prevented people trying to reach polling stations in Abu Ghraib, Yusifya
and Latifya, all around Baghdad."From our view it is not a fair election," he said.

Howevr, turnout in Kurdistan, which has a total of 2.71 million eligible
voters, was described by the Independent High Electoral Commission as
"incomparable".As for preliminary results, they will be later
distributed on banners on the walls of each polling station, added the
commission.Earlier at mid-day, the commission announced a 34 percent
voting turnout out of the 20 million Iraqis eligible to vote for a new
parliament.The voting process had been held under the assessment of
the United Nations, with the Secretary General's Special Representative
for Iraq Nikolay Mladenov telling reporters, at a polling center in
central Baghdad, that only through high participation can the Iraqi
people ensure that they have a say in the future of the country.

With the vote over, coalition buidling becomes the new goal. Alsumaria reports
that Ammar al-Hakim declared today that the forming of the National
Alliance has begun. This may mean the reshaping of the government -- at
least in terms of who will be prime minister. al-Hakim has ambitions of
being prime minister some day. Would some day be this year? Maybe. Or
maybe Moqtada al-Sadr or maybe Adil Abdul-Mahdi or Ayad Allawi or a
name less prominent internationally.

The ruling political
class is as much responsible for Iraq's predicament as structural
conditions. The structure is not destiny. Having taken ownership of the
country after U.S. occupation and ouster of Saddam Hussein, the Shiite leadership has treated Sunni Arabs like second-class citizens and has equated its numerical majority with a license to monopolize power at the expense of others.

In a similar vein, the
Sunni leadership has not come to terms with the new realities of
post-Saddam Iraq and still entertains illusions about ruling Iraq.
Kurdish leaders would not mind if Iraq burns as long as they preserve a
separate Kurdistan -- a quasi-independent entity.

Of all actors, Prime
Minister Nuri al-Maliki bears greater responsibility for the steep
deterioration of the security situation and the quality of life of
Iraqis, including corruption that infects all aspects of Iraqi society.
After eight years in office and monopolizing power, al-Maliki has failed
his countrymen and has delivered neither security nor prosperity.
He was blind and deaf to the gathering storm among Sunnis Arabs who
feel excluded by what they view as his sectarian-based policies.

In 2010, the Iraqi people voted in parliamentary elections. Alice Fordham (NPR) observes, "Since then, rights groups and many Iraqis say this Maliki government has
failed key democratic tests: The country is corrupt and unsafe, with
serious flaws in the freedom of the judiciary and media. Many Iraqis are
deeply disillusioned with the democratic process."

Today, Iraqis voted in parliamentary elections again. IANS points out, "Over 21 million people were eligible to vote in this election in which
more than 9,000 candidates from nearly 280 political entities were vying
for 328 seats. Over 8,000 voting centres across the country
opened their doors at 7 am (local time/4 am GMT) and were scheduled to
close at 6 pm." Iraq's Independent High Electoral Commission notes there were approximately 6,425 male candidates and 2,607 female candidates. The IHEC also hailed the vote as a "great success."

When
a 19-year-old Laura Nyro emerged on the rock scene in 1967 with her
debut album More Than a New Discovery, she changed the preconceptions
of what any singer-songwriter -- much less a female one -- could do. In
her wake, Todd Rundgren abruptly changed his style and left his band
Nazz to release solo albums inspired by Nyro (one song, "Baby, Let's
Swing" is even about her).Carole King was so impressed with
Nyro's artistic boldness that King finally got up the gumption to pursue
a solo career seriously -- one that featured her sitting Nyro-style,
behind a piano."I think Laura Nyro does not exist without Carole
King the songwriter, but Carole King the singer-songwriter does not
exist without Laura Nyro the performer," says Michele Kort, author of
the 2002 Nyro biography Soul Picnic. "It was Laura, along with Joni Mitchell, who started the whole singer-songwriter movement Carole King
was able to become part of."Other performers who have cited Nyro
as an inspiration range from Suzanne Vega to Elton John to Stevie Wonder, whose "If You Really Love Me" is said to be inspired by Nyro's
style. That style attracted a hard-core following of fans who made her a
cult figure.